Italy is continuing what has become a truly extraordinary Olympic run. The country currently leads the medal table with 17 total medals, ahead of the United States and Norway, both at 14. Italy’s haul includes 6 gold medals, 3 silvers, and 7 bronzes. Yesterday, three remarkable Italian athletes – three “sisters of Italy” – dominated the day, delivering two gold medals and one silver and giving the nation another unforgettable chapter in these Games.
And while Francesca Lollobrigida and Arianna Fontana achieved extraordinary results, Federica Brignone’s feat yesterday is destined to enter the history of world sport.
The second gold medal for Francesca Lollobrigida definitively confirms her greatness in speed skating. After her first triumph, the Italian star returns to the ice with confidence and maturity, setting a steady, intelligent pace. She manages the race with composure, controls her rivals at key moments, and gradually increases her speed when it matters most. It is a flawless performance, built on technique and years of experience. She crosses the finish line with a time that leaves no room for doubt, claiming a second gold that cements her place among the sport’s all-time greats.
The gold medal won by Arianna Fontana in short track carries historic significance. With this victory, she becomes the first Italian athlete ever to reach 13 Olympic medals, an extraordinary milestone that places her in a league of her own. Her final is a masterpiece of strategy: she stays patient in the early laps, studies her competitors’ lines, and chooses the perfect moment to launch her decisive move. With a perfectly timed pass, she takes the lead and holds off the charge behind her. It is a win that rewards talent, longevity, and a champion’s mindset built over years at the highest level.
But the most powerful story unfolds on the super-G course, where Federica Brignone delivers an achievement that goes far beyond a medal. Just ten months earlier, a serious accident had cast doubt over everything: her season, her Olympic dreams, even the continuation of her career. The terrible injury required a complex recovery process and months of rehabilitation. The early stages were marked by pain, quiet work, and inevitable uncertainty. Simply walking again without fear was a milestone; returning to elite competition seemed almost unimaginable.
Yet Brignone never stopped believing. Day after day, she rebuilt muscle strength, balance, and confidence. Long hours in the gym, endless physical therapy sessions, and training runs far from the spotlight laid the groundwork for what already seemed like a remarkable comeback. But standing in the start gate at the Olympics is something entirely different. It demands courage and absolute trust in one’s body.
On race day in the super-G, the Italian skier attacks the course with fierce determination. Her lines are clean, aggressive yet controlled. On the fastest sections she lets her skis run with confidence; in the technical stretches she shows renewed sensitivity and precision. Every turn is a declaration of trust: in the work she has done, in the sacrifices of the past months, in the possibility of becoming the skier she was before, perhaps even better. At the finish, the clock rewards her with the fastest time. One by one, her rivals try to challenge it, but none can surpass her.
When it becomes clear that no one will beat her time, the emotion is overwhelming. This is not just the joy of an Olympic gold medal; it is the awareness of having defied time and circumstance. Ten months, in alpine skiing, is an incredibly short period to recover from a major injury and return to world-class form. The sport requires power, balance, split-second precision, and complete commitment. Brignone proves that determination can bridge even the most daunting gaps.
On the podium, her expression says it all: exhaustion, pride, gratitude. This medal becomes a symbol of resilience and rebirth. On a day already extraordinary for Italy, her super-G gold carries special meaning. It is proof that even after a devastating fall, it is possible to come back stronger, not just to compete, but to write one of the most inspiring chapters in Italian sporting history.
